National Broadband Mission

The National Broadband Mission (NBM) was launched under the National Digital Policy, 2018. The NBM was launched in 2019. It was launched by the then Union Minister of Communication Shri Ravishankar Prasad.

Aim of the mission

The National Broadband Mission aims to provide internet connection to all villages by 2022.

About National Broadband Mission

  • The Government of India aims to strengthen telecommunication technologies and infrastructure.
  • Under the mission, 3 million kilometres of optical fiber cable are to be laid
  • The mission aims to increase the tower density from 0.42 per thousand population to one tower per thousand population
  • Currently, the fiberisation of towers is 30% in the country. The mission aims to increase this to 70%

Funds

Around 10% funds of the mission are allocated from the Universal Obligation Fund. The Universal Obligation Fund is generated by the 5% Universal Service Levy. This service levy is charged upon all the telecom fund operators on their AGR (Adjusted Gross Revenue). The rest is to be invested by the industries and other stakeholders. It was estimated that the mission will attract Rs 7 lakh crores of investment from different stakeholders.

Goals of National Broad Mission

The following are the major goals of National Broadband Mission that are to be achieved by December 2022:

  • 100% Broadband connectivity in villages
  • 55% fiberisation of mobile towers
  • To achieve average broadband speed of 25 mbps
  • To lay 30 lakh kilometres of optic fiber

Directorate established to track National Broadband Expansion Goals

In November 2021, Department of Telecommunications established the National Broadband Mission Directorate. The directorate will submit a monthly report about the progress of the NBM. Also, it will create a central dashboard on the telecom portal. The dashboard will provide monthly updates about the progress. This includes providing universal broadband services and setting up digital communications infrastructure. The directorate will consist of a mission director and three deputy mission directors. They will collectively monitor the progress levels.

Significance of the Mission

The NBM will provide fast track growth in digital communication. It will bring digital inclusion and digital empowerment. Also, the mission will provide affordable broadband access to all.


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